Board to slow down on senior center

Wednesday

Nov 21, 2012 at 6:00 AM

St. Joseph County commissioners have rescinded a motion passed Nov. 5 to spend up to $10,000 for a building footprint for a senior center in Sturgis.The vote was unanimous, except for commissioner John Dobberteen who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

Terry Katz

St. Joseph County commissioners have rescinded a motion passed Nov. 5 to spend up to $10,000 for a building footprint for a senior center in Sturgis.The vote was unanimous, except for commissioner John Dobberteen who was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.It took three motions by the county commission to formally rescind the previous action and start a new process.First, there had to be a motion to reconsider the motion made by Commissioner Donald Eaton Nov. 5. Then a motion to rescind Eaton’s request to spend up to $10,000 on footprint plans had to pass. The third motion was to advertise in the media for people interested in serving on a study committee.People interested in serving on the new Due Diligence committee must fill out a citizen interest form available through the Human Resources Department.The committee will be under the chairmanship of Three Rivers commissioner Allen Balog. Balog is liaison commissioner to the St. Joseph County Commission on Aging.No appointments will be made until the Executive Committee reviews applicants.It was Commission chairman Rick Shaffer’s proposal to get more people involved in the committee that led to rescinding the motion. Shaffer said he wanted to see the county commission, Commission on Aging, county building authority, and Sturgis City Commission represented on the committee, in addition to other interested people.On Tuesday, Shaffer once again thanked county commissioner Donald Eaton for his time and energy promoting a senior center for southern St. Joseph County. Commissioners agreed the process must be slowed down while more research and public input is gathered.Shaffer told commissioners last week that he spent several days talking with constituents relative to the proposed Sturgis Senior Center project before making his Due Diligence proposal.“But we need to slow this train down a little bit,” Shaffer said. “This committee would be charged with providing the county commission with research based options, alternatives for funding, land acquisition, and governance structure,” said Shaffer. “The report would also include a needs-based analysis rationale.”Three Sturgis city commissioners, including Mayor Kenneth Malone, attended Tuesday’s meeting.Malone said he has nothing against Three Rivers, but the COA seems to be doing well serving seniors with its recent renovations.He said he hopes it’s not a long wait before something gets started in Sturgis for seniors.Eaton wants the senior center to be built on city land next to the Doyle Center and across the street from Thurston Woods. He said he sees it as a “senior campus.”Also attending from the city of Sturgis were commissioners Ina Taulbee and Skip Littman.